Category: Personal Revival

The Compassion of Christ For You and Me!

How voluntary was the death of our Lord Jesus! Five times we read that He “gave Himself.” He gave Himself for our sins (Galatians:1:4).
He gave Himself a ransom for all (2 Timothy:2:6).
He loved the church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians:5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it).
How blessed it is to know that He gave Himself for us (Titus:2:14).
But what a personal privilege to be able to say that He loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians:2:20).
—Jim Flanigan, Choice Gleanings 2011 (Quoted in Berean Call)

Another Cure For AIDS

Source: Creation Moment Blog

We hear of the effort to find another cure for AIDS. 

AIDS has become most famous among the numerous Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s). About 44 million people have died worldwide of AIDS, roughly 600,000 annually in recent years. In Africa, AIDS was the leading cause of death for 30-49-year-olds in 2019. Medical treatment for one infected person in the United States costs a whopping $20,000–$50,000 annually, and is required indefinitely for however long the rest of that person’s life lasts.

These facts can frighten a person. However, AIDS cannot come and suddenly get you like a drunk driver crossing the center line. In fact, unless you refuse the first cure, you cannot sexually acquire any disease. Someone may say, “I have heard of the terror of AIDS, but nothing of a cure. Is it some exotic thing?” You don’t hear a peep about the cure for AIDS in today’s secularized America because it comes from God. Romans 1:20-28 tells us the lost world is not thankful to God, does not acknowledge Him fully from the clear evidence of the creation, nor does it wish to retain Him in their knowledge.

So what is God’s cure for AIDS? Sexual purity: abstinence until marriage followed by lifelong monogamy with one’s spouse.

From Romans 1:20-28, because of deliberate repudiation of God, God “gave them up to uncleanness”, and to “vile affections”, and to “a reprobate mind”, “men… burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly and receiving in themselves that recompense of the error which was meet.” 

The Scripture clearly lays out the consequences of allowing lust to reign freely and outside of the design of our Holy Maker when it says “receiving in themselves”. And elsewhere there are warnings and guidance in Scripture for a sure cure for AIDS and other STD’s.

“Flee fornication…he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:9-18 

“Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found with child… Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.” – Matthew 1:18 & 19

“You shall not commit adultery.” – Exodus 20:14 & Deuteronomy 5:18

“The scribes and the Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery… Jesus said to her, ‘…go and sin no more’.” – John 8:3-11

God designed the sexual relationship to occur between one man and one woman for their lifetime. So we see Scripture forbidding sexual relations between unwed people (fornication) and married persons with someone besides their spouse (adultery).

Let’s look at the benefits of God’s cure for AIDS.

  1. God’s cure for AIDS is 100% effective to protect a person and to destroy the very disease. Consider the way sexually transmitted diseases are spread. You have to sleep with more than one person to pass on an STD. If you do not sleep with more than one person, it is impossible to pass on an STD. A disease cannot perpetuate which never gets handed on between hosts that die of old age. If mankind obeyed its Creator’s design for the sexual relationship, not only would they not catch and give STDs, but there would be no such thing as an STD to catch.
  2. God’s cure for AIDS is inexpensive; it is FREE. Yes, economic status, not even the most severe poverty, can keep God’s cure for AIDS out of any person’s grasp.
  3. God’s cure for AIDS has complete availability. You don’t have to go to a country where regulations allow its use. You don’t have to locate the clinic. You don’t have to even travel 5 minutes to the corner pharmacy!
  4. God’s cure for AIDS has zero detrimental side effects. This is amazing to the pharmaceutical world because people’s bodies are unique and react differently to a drug. Therefore, we hear the rambling list of potential side effects at the end of drug commercials. Often a person is taking secondary medication to counteract the side effects of a primary medicine. Not with God’s cure for AIDS; nobody will get a hole in their heart valve, diarrhea, or even a mild headache.
  5. God’s cure for AIDS has huge beneficial side effects. Have you ever heard of a cure like this? God’s cure for AIDS also prevents Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, and Chlamydia. In fact, it is the cure for every single one of the 30+ sexually transmitted diseases of which AIDS is just a small percentage. But that’s not all. Chastity decreases divorce. Did you know that those who cohabit before marriage have a higher divorce rate? Sexual purity is also a hedge against murder. We have read how King David had Uriah killed to cover his adultery with Bathsheba. This is repeated over and over today. Two people have illicit sex, a pregnancy results, they murder the baby and pretend it never happened (over a million babies a year in the U.S.). God offers us a way to never have to be in that situation. Chastity removes shame and increases self-esteem. For the person interested in mental wellness, unhindered in happiness and productivity by worry and distraction, God’s plan for sexuality can’t be beat!

Does God love us or what?! When I think of the good things He gives us, it just makes me want to shout “Hallelujah!” – to give us such a great cure for AIDS, and like the gospel, it is free. Just as with freedom from eternal judgment, God made it so anyone is capable of being free from AIDS – simply by believing Him. 

God has given this wonderful cure for AIDS because He loves us, not because He is a killjoy who wants to keep us from having fun (the same lie the devil says about smoking, drugs, or eating the fruit in the garden of Eden).

Why does the world reject a cure that sounds so great, and say there is no cure for AIDS? “Why do the nations rage… Against the Lord, and against His anointed?” – Psalm 2:1,2.

The unbelieving world’s response to Christ’s authority is told to us in the parable of Luke 19:14, “We will not have this man to reign over us”. All (aside from victims of rape, perinatal transmission, blood-to-blood contact, etc.) infected with STD’s, sadly, have rejected the 1st cure from God. John 10:10 tells us that the devil, who deceived them into doing so, has murder as one of his only 3 motives – “steal and kill and destroy.” Whereas the same verse goes on to tell us the Lord Jesus came, that by Him we may “have life, and have it more abundantly!”

The endeavor for another, a second cure for AIDS marches on. Well over $200 billion has been spent globally on HIV/AIDS research, but no cure. Wow! What about a cure for the stubbornly rebellious human heart?

Thank God He is merciful, and as His offer of a cure for AIDS is still extended to us, so is His offer of the Savior Jesus Christ! Romans 5:8 tells us, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. The Old Testament speaks prophetically of life in the Savior: “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come, buy and eat, Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” – Isaiah 55:1 

BibleWorldview

Posted by Glen Reidhaar

Glen Reidhaar is a contributor to Creation Moments. He holds a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Idaho (magna cum laude, Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society). He is a licensed Professional Engineer who has worked for more than three decades in aluminum smelting, semiconductor substrate, automotive, and laser printers. Glen is also an inventor, with 29 United States patents to date.

He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior on May 12, 1996. Glen is on Answers in Genesis’ list of Modern Creation Scientists and is a 10-year volunteer at their Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. He is a husband of over 28 years and a father of two boys. In his free time, Glen enjoys creating thought-provoking creation videos, which you can find on our audience-submitted videos page. 

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Sin Triad

Sin will take you further than you want to go.

Sin will cost you more than you want to pay.

Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay.

Unknown Author

The Danger of Complacency

“I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to punish those who sit complacent in their sins. They think the LORD will do nothing to them, either good or bad.” Zephaniah 1:12

It’s been said that we become like the gods we worship. Whatever we continually behold, we consistently reflect. Some of God’s own children have so lost sight of His Majesty, power, and authority that they shrugged their shoulders and chose to live the way they so desired.  They reduced God’s influence to that of a lifeless idol. Furthermore, they projected their own indifference onto him, thinking he cared very little as to whether people did right or wrong, as if he himself would never react to sin or respond to righteousness. The word complacent in this passage is akin to the process of curdling, thickening, or settling into. In other words, when we let go of our own conviction, and when we stop caring about sin (and worse yet, when we somehow think that God is on the same page), something destructive settles within us. Our faith curdles; our sin becomes like quicksand, and we shrug our shoulders over the consequences of it all. God will have none of it. He is not indifferent about anything.  God will have none of it.  Never confuse God’s patience with complacency. Sin has its consequences and righteousness has its rewards. If you know someone who is complacent in their sin, pray and fast for them. It’s no small thing to God. A day of reckoning is coming unless they wake up and repent.

Ask the Lord to show you if you’ve misjudged Him in any way.  

Author: Susie Larson, Prevail, Day 214

Powerful warning! Let us be people of faith who fear (reverence) God.

Thank you for your time.

Carl

Who Will NOT Inherit the Kingdom of God

The Bible warns that in the last days many will be deceived by false prophets (preachers) and false teachers who proclaim another Jesus and another gospel besides the biblical Jesus and His Gospel. They will lead many to hell instead of heaven. 

An example is found in a Christian Post article concerning the former president of Exodus International, a once-prominent Christian ministry that sought to help people with unwanted same-sex attraction. The ministry closed in 2013.  He is quoted as saying:

“Someone’s relationship with Christ isn’t dependent on the things that they do or the behaviors that they’re involved in.”

And

 “there are so many gay and lesbian people that I know, transgender people, bisexual people, you name it, who have a vibrant relationship with Christ and their sexual narrative doesn’t negate their righteousness or holiness.”

The following Scriptures are presented in love as a warning to show that these type of comments are deceptive and wrong. There are  people who the Bible plainly teaches will not inherit the kingdom of God. This means they do not go to heaven but to eternal torment when they physically  die.  Do not be found among them. Flee to the real biblical Jesus who said, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”   Carl

Scriptures:

Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

Lord Jesus – Matthew 10:32-33

But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time, and shall begin to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and shall cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; weeping shall be there and the gnashing of teeth.

Lord Jesus – Matthew 24:48-51

But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.

Lord Jesus – Matthew 24:13

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, 20 idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral*, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate**, nor homosexuals***, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy****, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

*sexually immoral (pornos) is one who engages in sexual immorality (Moody), i.e. fornication, adultery, homosexual, lesbian, bestialities, abuse of children, etc.

**effeminate are “men who fill the sexual role of the female” in homosexual activity. (Moody)

***homosexuals means literally “males who take other males to bed”. (Moody)

****greedy: covetous, “those who would like to have more” and act unethically to get it.” (Moody) This person has made mammon his god and is an idolator.

I Corinthians 6:9-11

 But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them…     

Ephesians 5:3-7

…when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These people will pay the penalty of eternal destruction,away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power…

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

Therefore, treat the parts of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 

Colossians 3:5-7

For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no one violate the rights and take advantage of his brother or sister in the matter, because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you previously and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in sanctification. 8 Therefore, the one who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

I Thessalonians 4:3-8

Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him; and their time of punishment would be forever.

Psalm 81:15

There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, a soothsayer, one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who consults the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable things [abominations] the Lord your God is going to drive them out before you. 13 You are to be blameless before the Lord your God. 14 For these nations, which you are going to dispossess, listen to soothsayers and diviners, but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so.

Deuteronomy 18:10-14

The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8 But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

…and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Revelation 21:8, 27

 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

Revelation 22:14-15

Conclusion : Jesus warned us that in the last days there would be much deception. Many in the attempt to justify their behavior before God have sought out false preachers who will tickle their ears by misinterpreting the Word of God or outright lying to justify their lifestyle. John, a disciple of Jesus, tells us very plainly about how we can tell we are deceived:

If we say that things in common we are having with Him [God], and thus fellowship, and in the sphere of the aforementioned darkness are habitually ordering our behavior, we are lying, and we are not doing the truth.

[In other words, the person is deceived and God does not approve of their behavior but condemns it and instead of fellowshipping with God, they are actually fellowshipping with a false Jesus/God who is a demon. ] Then John goes on to say:

But if within the sphere of the light we are habitually ordering our behavior as Himself is in the light, things in common and thus fellowship we [God and the believer] are having with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son keeps continually cleansing us from every sin.

I John 1:6-7 Wuest Expanded Translation

Following Scripture explains the Biblical standard concerning conduct.

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He [Jesus] appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who remains in Him sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who has been born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious:  anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister.

I John 3:4-10

Lord Jesus came to free us from our sins and purify us for Himself:

For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all people, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of ]our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds.

Titus 2:11-14

The next Scripture tells us how to be saved from our sins:

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:8-12

If you see yourself in these Scriptures and realize that you are continuously practicing one or more of these sins and are subject to  God’s wrath, repent (turn) from and confess your sins to God and call upon the Lord Jesus today to wash away your sins with His precious blood. He will save your soul delivering you from the wrath of God. He will give you His Holy Spirit to live in you. He, the Spirit of God, will teach you and empower you to become free from practicing sin and live a life pleasing to Him.

God is merciful to those who are repentant and contrite of heart. He will save you regardless of what you have done if you will confess your sins and ask Him to have mercy on you. Call out to Him today.

Carl

Notes:

  1. All Scripture is from the New American Standard Bible (1977 Translation or later) unless otherwise indicated.

What is the Deceitfulness of Sin?

The writer of the Book of Hebrews in the Bible warns us of the following:

Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  Hebrews 3:12-13

Drawing from the history of the Jewish people, the writer exhorts us not to be like those who had unbelieving hearts, fell away from the living God and died in the wilderness.

The Holy Spirit is speaking through the writer to warn us about our heart [our inner man- who we truly are] becoming hard [unbelieving] toward God and His Word [the Bible] because of the deceitfulness of sin.

Here is some of the ways sin deceives us:

Offers False Promises of Pleasure – sin acts as bait, dangling immediate, fleeting satisfaction or gain while hiding the inevitable pain and ruin it produces.

Progressive Hardening of the Heart – sin dulls spiritual sensitivity over time, moving a person toward apathy, disobedience, and an inability to recognize evil.

Self-Deception – The Bible warns that our own hearts are deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), prompting us to rationalize wrongful behavior and believe we can escape consequences.

Distortion of Truth – Sin mask itself as wisdom or enlightenment, just as it did in the Garden of Eden, causing us to doubt God’s word.

Misleading About God – It makes God’s commands seem unreasonable or restrictive, trying to make us believe that God is against our best interests.

Did you recognize any of sins deceptions? Unfortunately, I recognize them all. They have tricked me at times into forsaking church attendance, not reading/studying my Bible, not praying, being prideful and arrogant, thinking I’m special when I was just sinful, not loving my fellow Christian and the unbeliever, being consumed with my agenda and not God’s, lying, lusting, being rebellious, unloving, and stubborn….and I could go on all day.

What should we do if we find ourselves with a hard, unbelieving heart today? We need to confess our sins and pride to God the Father. He already knows our sins. He is not surprised by them. He has promised the following to His children:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. I John 2: 1-2

and

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9

In Proverbs there is a Scripture that says a righteous man falls seven times but he always gets back up. So if you find yourself convicted by this post, get back up, turn from your sins and confess them to God, receive God’s forgiveness, believe God’s Word, be led by the indwelling Holy Spirit and perform the good works God called you to.

Be a blessing and an encourager to someone who needs mercy and grace.

May He richly bless you in your obedience.

Carl

How Wealthy Are You?

…attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with persuasive arguments.” Colossians 2: 2-4

“In short, he says, “You are fabulously rich in Christ; and don’t you let anyone ever tell you otherwise.”

“Do you know how rich you are? The richest man is the one who understands truths the world’s greatest minds have never understood–that the wise and successful life is one focused on Christ. The richest woman is the one who grasps, that at the heart of all God’s plans for the future is, Jesus. We may read about CEOs on enormous salaries, but we are richer.

“Do not let anyone, inside or outside the church, tell you differently with “fine-sounding arguments” (v4). Do not be swayed by entertaining preachers who tell you that life is all about you and your happiness when it is really about Christ. Do not be charmed by highly qualified teachers who try to persuade you that Christ is anything less that the glorious divine being we met in Colossians 1: 15-20. As long as we hold on tight to this Jesus, then our faith will remain strong (v5). I pray that everyone, especially those I love, will never let go of Jesus. ” Journey Through Colossians and Philemon –Mike Raiter

Dear Reader the following Scriptures tell us who this Christ is:

“And He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities –all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church, and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” Colossians 1: 15-20

Do you know this Jesus? Are you fabulously rich because you understand who He is? Are you going to spend eternity with Him or do you have reservations somewhere else? I pray you are holding on to Him. If not, why not today?

Turn to Him, confess your sins and ask Him to forgive you. Then ask Him to be your Savior and Lord based on what He did for you on His cross where He took the guilt and penalty (death) for your sins and mine. You will never regret it.

Thank you for your precious time. May God’s blessings be on your life.

Carl

The Big Difference

How does keeping of the Old Testament Law and walking in New Testament grace compare?

There is a big difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament when it comes to equipping the believer to live a God honoring life.  The following saying illustrates this point.

Do this and live, the Old Testament Law demands, but gives neither feet or hands.

A better word the Gospel brings. It bids me fly and gives me wings.

Author Unknown

Born again believers get their “wings” by understanding the truths found in Paul’s letter to the Romans in chapter six through eight.  God has given us a new nature and set us free from our old sinful nature and gave us His indwelling Holy Spirit.  Now we can say “no” to sin and temptation and escape from the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Apostle Peter said the following about these truths in II Peter 1: 3-4 (Wuest Expanded Translation):

“Seeing that all things to us His divine power has generously given, the things which pertain to life and godliness, through the experiential knowledge [which the believer has] of the One who called us [into salvation] by means of His own glory and virtue, by means of which [glory and virtue] there have been generously given to us the precious and exceedingly great promises in order that through these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped by flight the corruption which is in the world in the sphere of passionate carvings.” 

Today let us lay hold of these precious and exceedingly great promises the Father has made to us.  As we do so, we can escape the corruption which we will face today in the the world in the sphere of passionate carvings.

May you conquer all temptations and snares today in the Name of Jesus!

Have a blessed day walking in the Spirit!

Carl

 

Do Not Forget Any of His Benefits

Bless the Lord, my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, my soul,
And do not forget any of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your guilt,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with favor and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your [a]years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

6 The Lord performs [b]righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His deeds to the sons of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always contend with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our guilty deeds.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who [c]fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.
13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who [d]fear Him.
14 For He Himself knows [e]our form;
He is mindful that we are nothing but dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;
Like a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place no longer knows about it.
17 But the [f]mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting for those who [g]fear Him,
And His justice to the children’s children,
18 To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts, so as to do them.

19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His [h]sovereignty rules over [i]all.
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
21 Bless the Lord, all you His [j]angels,
You who serve Him, doing His will.
22 Bless the Lord, all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the Lord, my soul!

(Psalm 103 – New American Standard Bible Translation, emphasis added)

Praise Him for all of His benefits! May we be like the early believers who were “…going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit… (Acts 9:31)

His blessings be upon all that love the Lord Jesus Christ.

Carl

(Scripture and footnotes from Bible Gateway)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 103:5 Or desire
  2. Psalm 103:6 Or deeds of vindication
  3. Psalm 103:11 Or revere
  4. Psalm 103:13 Or revere
  5. Psalm 103:14 I.e., what we are made of
  6. Psalm 103:17 Or faithfulness
  7. Psalm 103:17 Or revere
  8. Psalm 103:19 Or kingdom
  9. Psalm 103:19 I.e., the universe
  10. Psalm 103:21 Lit hosts

“Dreaming” in Jude – A Warning Against Immorality

“Yet in the same manner these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh,…” Jude 8

Welcome back as we continue our study of the false teachers in Jude:

3. Our opening scripture means they indulged in what we would call pornography.   “Dreaming” means metaphorically “to be beguiled with sensual images and carried away to an impious course of conduct” (Thayer). As a result they were defiling their physical bodies with acts of immorality.

The term “in the same manner” refers to verse 5 – 7 where it says:

Now I want to remind you, though you know everything once and for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And angels who did not keep their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling place, these He has kept in eternal restraints under darkness for the judgment of the great day, 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in sexual perversion and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

Jude compares the false teachers to the fallen angels who left heaven and committed fornication with the wicked women of the earth (Genesis 6) and to the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah who committed “gross immorality” (NASB) or “fornication” (KJV). God has the fallen angels in prison for their sin TODAY awaiting the final judgment and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah are still “undergoing the punishment of eternal fire” TODAY. Both are held up as an “example” which means “something held up to view as a warning” (Wuest). Jude holds both of these exhibits up to the brethren as a warning that God will not be mocked, He will not be “outwitted or evaded”. These examples are still a warning to us today.

These false teachers, while claiming to be God’s spokesman, were participating in fornication and adultery.  Not only them, but, as we will see,  the Lord’s bond servants they deceived.  God plainly reveals His will about sex outside of marriage and adultery in the New Testament:

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;…” (I Thessalonians 4:3-5)

May we heed His warning and keep ourselves from sexual immorality.

God bless you.

Carl

The Value of Your Soul

Ponder how valuable your soul must be for Satan to tirelessly pursue it, and for Lord Jesus to lay down his own life for it.

Atheist Filmmaker Abandons Unbelief For Jesus

Please visit the following link for a true fascinating journey of an atheistic filmmaker who finally finds salvation in Jesus Christ. God bless you and yours. Carl

www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2026/january/atheist-filmmaker-abandons-unbelief-for-jesus

Why are 64% of American churchgoers wrong about Heaven?

Recent survey shows 64% of churchgoers do not understand the biblical way of salvation.

By Dan Delzell, Christian Post Contributor 
What are American churchgoers being taught from the pulpit these days about what happens after death? Clearly something is terribly amiss. A 2025 study by Dr. George Barna and Dr. David Closson reveals the dire situation.

Only 36% correctly affirm: “You will go to Heaven if you repent of sin and accept Christ.” The rest of American churchgoers are completely misguided regarding who goes to Heaven.

The Family Research Council released the study a few months ago. And here is what people in the pew actually think:

  • “Everyone goes to Heaven” (14%).
  • “Everyone is purified, then goes to Heaven” (12%).
  • “Don’t know” (12%).
  • “You go to Heaven if you did good deeds” (11%).
  • “You cease to exist” (7%).
  • “You are reincarnated” (7%).
  • “You go to Hell” (2%).

Why are two-thirds of churchgoers wrong about something so foundational to Christianity? If your pastor is not preaching the Gospel, you should switch to a church where the truth of Scripture is being taught.

Half of American churchgoers (49%) either do not know who goes to Heaven, or believe that everyone goes to Heaven, or think that everyone is purified and then goes to Heaven. These statistics are shocking! And remember, these are people who actually attend church!

The biggest problem is that many pastors are not firmly rooting believers in the Gospel and the truth of Scripture. How else can you account for this sorry state of affairs among American churchgoers?

Southern Baptist professor Dr. Dustin Benge said, “You don’t need massive platforms, radical ideas, and revolutionary fervor to accomplish great things for God. Do the ordinary things: Serve in a local church, Stand on the truth, Share the Gospel, Love people. God uses ‘ordinary’ people to turn the world upside down.”

The Apostle Paul would have never made an impact if it were not for the power of the Gospel. And the same is true for all of the apostles, as well as anyone who has ever been called by the Holy Spirit to preach God’s Word.

— Read on www.christianpost.com/voices/why-are-64-of-american-churchgoers-wrong-about-heaven.html

I hope you are spreading the biblical gospel in your sphere of influence and beyond.      Blessings to you!

Carl

The Old Self – Enemy of God.

There are three people living inside each of us: the one we think we are, the one other people think we are, and the one God knows we are.

Unless we are desperate to get into real [spiritual] victory, we are so easy on ourselves and so hard on others. (Our pride always sees the faults of others and not our own.)

Self loves self. Too often we hide ourselves from ourselves lest the sight of ourselves should sicken ourselves.

Let us invite the searching eye of God to locate this corrupted, spotted, stinking Self in us. Let it be torn from us and “crucified with Him, (so) that henceforth we no longer serve sin” (Romans 6:6).

Leonard Ravenhill, Why Revival Tarries, p. 35

Carl

Who Do You Look Like? – The Purpose of Christian Suffering.

“God is not so much interested in how much work we do for Him, as He is in how much we resemble His Son.”

Is the suffering which God is allowing in your life accomplishing it’s intended purpose or not?

The apostle Peter uses the term “fiery trial” (I Peter 4:12) to describe a process that is like the refining of silver or gold in a furnace. The unrefined ore is placed in a crucible and melted in a furnace until the dross or impurities rise to the top. Then the impurities are skimmed off and thrown away. Now the smelter can see his reflection in the ore which tells him that the ore has been purified.

The metaphor describes what suffering is suppose to do in the Christian. The suffering is to make us aware of and bring us to repentance about the pride, arrogance, rebellion, self-sufficiency, hard-headedness, lack of faith, lack of compassion and other fleshly attributes that are in our heart and manifested in our personality. Prior to the suffering we may not see these sins but everyone else does.

As He removes this dross from His children’s life it makes for humility, purifies and increases our faith, and enriches our lives. People around us can clearly see more of Jesus manifested in our life.

If we respond wrong to suffering and hold onto the dross, we are on dangerous ground because God is committed to conforming His children to the image of His Beloved Son. We do not want the smelter to turn up the heat to get rid of that stubborn dross! Better to walk with a repentant heart and let Him purify our soul.

“Make sure that none of you suffers as a murder, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” I Peter 4: 15-16

So, in closing, who do you and I look like?

God bless His Beloved Children,

Carl

God’s Change Agents

“God works in the lives of his people using two agents, his Holy Spirit and his Word. He controls his Holy Spirit, but we are responsible to appropriate his Word in our lives.”

The apostle Paul described it as follows:

“…work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure….” Philippians 2:12-13

We are to “work out our salvation” which means to bring our salvation by grace through faith to it’s ultimate conclusion, to become more like Christ and less like the devil.

How are we to do that? We are to cooperate with God’s Spirit “who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

And how do we cooperate? Paul says in Philippians 2: 16 “holding fast the word of life.” We read His words recorded in the Bible and we hold fast to them and let the Holy Spirit use them to change us.

As one brother said “As we read our Bible, it is reading us.”

We should approach reading the Bible with awe because it will reveal “us” in ways we never thought possible. Not only sins like unforgiveness, pride, arrogance, perverse morals but also the staggering truths of who we are in Christ and all the marvelous things God has done in us and for us and is going to do in the future for His children.

In closing, I benefited from the following reality check on my relationship with God. I recommend it to you.

If you want to know what your attitude toward God is, check what your attitude to His Word is; that is your attitude toward God.

You do not love God more than you love His Word.

You do not obey God more than you obey His Word.

You do not have room for God in your life than you have room for His Word in your life.

If you want to find out how much God means to you, see how much His Word means to you.

If you want revival and spiritual growth in your life, prayerfully read your Bible, obey it’s truths and let the Holy Spirit do His work in you.

When we are reading our Bible and cooperating with the Holy Spirit, ALL of God’s creative power is working in us…His Word and His Spirit. The same creative agents that created the world.

A staggering thought.

Blessings on your journey with God.

Carl

Back to the Roots

“Pay no heed to the passing religious vogue. Go back to the grass roots. Open your hearts and search the Scriptures. Bear your cross, follow your Lord. The masses are always wrong. In every generation the number of the righteous is small. Be sure you are among them.”

-A.W. Tozer (April 21, 1897 -May 12, 1963; American Christian pastor, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor)

Source: The Berean Call – (be sure and check out their free mobile phone app.)

Are You About To Slip?

Their foot shall slide in due time. (KJV) Deuteronomy 32:35

“As he that walks in slippery places is every moment liable to fall, he cannot foresee one moment whether he shall stand or fall the next; and when he does fall, he falls at once without warning: Which is also expressed in Psalm 73:18,19. “Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction: How are they brought into desolation in a moment!”…

“The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and JUSTICE bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood. Thus all you that have never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls, all you that were never born again and made new creatures, raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life, are in the hands of an angry God…

“…And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands calling, and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to him, and pressing into the kingdom of God. Many are daily coming from the east, west, north and south; many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state, with thier hearts filled with love to him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God.”

The preacher Jonathan Edwards spoke these words on July 8, 1741 while preaching his famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in Enfield, Connecticut. As he preached some people called out for him to stop. At one point there was so much noise, he had to ask them to be quiet so he could be heard.

He concluded the sermon by saying, “Let everyone that is out of Christ now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation. Let everyone fly out of Sodom: ‘Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed.’ “

The people of Enfield were never the same.

Have you fled to Christ, the Lamb of God, to be cleansed by his shed blood on Calvary? We all need to flee to Jesus to escape the coming wrath of God. If you have not, why not today?

“They cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who will be able to survive? “ Revelation 6:16

Source: E. Michael and Sharon Rusten, The One Year Christian History. A great daily devotional based on historical events.

Persecuted Christians are starving for Bibles

Source: Christian Post (See note at end of article)

What would you do if you had no access to Scripture? Most Americans have multiple Bibles at home, dozens of translations at our fingertips, and devotional apps on every device. Yet for believers living in hostile areas and restricted nations, a single torn page of the New Testament is a treasure worth suffering for.

For many Christians around the world, owning a Bible is illegal. It can cost a believer their freedom or even their life. Yet, in the darkest prison cells and most hostile corners of the world, the Word of God remains the most desired possession. 

During 25+ years serving at The Voice of the Martyrs, I’ve had the honor to meet with persecuted Christians living and serving in the most dangerous and difficult places to follow Christ. Often, they share their inspiring testimonies.

Recently I came across five powerful stories about what having access to Scripture meant to imprisoned Christians.

1. Brother Joe

Brother Joe, a former prisoner in North Africa, received a smuggled portion of the Bible — just Psalms and part of the Gospel of John. For him, those verses were life itself. 

“I would cry over the words,” he said. “Not because I was sad, but because it was like Jesus Himself was sitting in my cell with me.” 

Even as Brother Joe endured torture, he began copying verses by hand to share with other prisoners. The guards tried to stop him, but the Word kept spreading. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, “The word of our God shall stand forever.”

2. Helen Berhane

Helen Berhane, an Eritrean gospel singer who was imprisoned in a metal shipping container for over two years, had no Bible at all — but she had memorized verses before her arrest. 

“The Word became my song, my food, my comfort,” she shared. “I had no book, but I had Him.”

Even today, years later, those memorized verses continue to sustain her.

3. Aaron

Aaron, a front-line worker, told me about a woman jailed for leading Bible studies in China, where the underground church is heavily persecuted. Fellow inmates, recalling verses they had memorized, pieced together entire chapters from memory. When a contraband Bible finally arrived, they tore it apart — not to destroy it, but to share it. 

“In that cell,” Aaron said, “the Bible wasn’t just a book — it was their breath.”

4.  Ali

Perhaps the most startling transformation came in the life of Ali, a former jihadist who encountered the Gospel of Luke in prison. The Bible turned his world upside down.

“I had studied violence all my life,” he said. “Then I met Jesus in a jail cell in the pages of that book. That Bible broke me.” 

Ali found, for the first time, a God who loves His enemies and sent His Son to die for them.

The Bible is more than print on paper — it’s living and active. The Word of God has the power to sustain people’s faith under the most intense persecution. For the millions of Christians in hostile nations, a Bible is not just a comfort. It is what carries them through their torture and suffering.

5. Iranian prisoner

Hormoz Shariat, the founder of Iran Alive Ministries known as “the Billy Graham of Iran,” shared how one Iranian prisoner risked his life to possess a single page of Scripture. That page became a spark. He memorized it and passed it to another inmate, who did the same. 

“They shared one torn page like it was gold,” Shariat said. “It was enough to bring light into total darkness.”

In Iran, where printing or importing Farsi Bibles is illegal, believers face prison or death for sharing God’s Word. And yet, they do it anyway. The hunger for the Bible is so deep that even a fragment — one Psalm, one parable — is worth everything.

Every April, VOM focuses on getting Bibles to persecuted Christians. This year, our ministry has identified 458,000 Christians, by name, who are waiting for a Bible in hostile areas and restricted nations.

Through front-line workers, the ministry is positioned to deliver these Bibles directly into the hands of those who need them most. Imagine being the reason a believer in prison experiences the presence of Christ in their darkest hour!

There are many lessons to learn from others who have suffered for their faith. The stories here are just a small example of the power of God’s Word to bring hope and strength to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Maybe our first lesson is not to take for granted what others are risking everything to hold.

Todd Nettleton is Vice President for Message at The Voice of the Martyrs and host of The Voice of the Martyrs Radio. He is the author of When Faith Is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians.

READER NOTE: Voice of The Martyrs charges $10 per Bible per their donation page. Asia Harvest charges $3 to print and deliver a Bible per their donation page. Asia Harvest and the underground church in China estimate that for every Bible given to a believer in China, at least one other individual comes to Christ. Not a bad $3 investment in the Kingdom of God!

Asia Harvest’s ministry is limited to Asia. They print Bibles in 163 different Asian languages. Our family has supported this effort for about three years.

Voice of the Martyrs ministry is worldwide evidently.

May you do your part to spread His Word in this dark world.

Blessings to all,

Carl